A Ragged Little Boy Whispered, "My Dad Is Still Alive"—What the Billionaire Uncle Discovered Destroyed His Family Forever / Chapter 10 / 20

Chapter 10 - Blood in the WaterWithin minutes, the boardroom was empty, save for Adrian, Charles, and Vance, who had locked the double doors and pulled down the security blinds. The penthouse was virtually soundproof.

"You think you're clever, boy?" Charles hissed, abandoning all pretense. He unbuttoned his suit jacket, pacing like a caged tiger. "I don't know how you drained those accounts, but you have no idea who you are dealing with."

"I know exactly who I'm dealing with," Adrian replied, his voice deadly calm. He didn't move from his spot at the table. "You're a parasite. You murdered my brother, you stole his company, and you sold his wife."

Charles stopped pacing. He tilted his head, a sickening, arrogant smile spreading across his face. "So. You finally figured it out. I wondered how long it would take you to look past your own grief. You always were the weaker brother, Adrian."

"Where is Anna?" Adrian demanded.

"Gone," Charles laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "You cost me three billion dollars today, Adrian. Do you really think I'm going to hand over the only leverage I have left?" Charles reached into his pocket and pulled out the gold money clip, extracting the black titanium Consortium token. He held it up to the light.

"This little piece of metal is a VIP pass to the Blackwood Consortium. I am going to make one phone call, sell my seat at their table, and secure enough funding to hostile-takeover this board by Friday. And you?" Charles nodded at his head of security. "You are going to take a tragic leap off the penthouse balcony. The pressure of the failed merger was just too much for the poor, grieving playboy."

Vance drew his suppressed pistol, aiming it squarely at Adrian's chest.

Adrian didn't flinch. He didn't panic. He just smiled.

"You always underestimate people, Charles," Adrian whispered. "You underestimated Scott. You underestimated me. And you severely underestimated Marcus."

Before Vance could pull the trigger, the floor-to-ceiling window behind Charles shattered inward with a deafening explosion of tempered glass.

A high-velocity sniper round from a neighboring rooftop tore through the air, striking the pistol in Vance's hand. The gun shattered into pieces, tearing Vance’s fingers open. He screamed, dropping to his knees and clutching his ruined hand.

Charles screamed in terror, dropping the token and diving under the mahogany table as a red laser sight pierced the dust, resting dead center on his forehead.

Adrian calmly walked over to the shivering billionaire. He knelt down, picked up the black titanium token from the floor, and slipped it into his pocket.

"You're done, Charles," Adrian said softly, looking under the table into the terrified eyes of the man who had destroyed his family. "By the time you crawl out of here, the police will have the anonymous dossier I sent them this morning detailing your fraud, your hits, and your laundering."

Adrian stood up, stepping over a groaning Vance, and walked toward the door. He unlocked it and pulled it open, pausing in the frame.

"Oh, and Charles?" Adrian said without looking back. "Scott says hello."

Adrian walked out to the elevator, leaving Charles screaming in disbelief. As the doors closed, Adrian pulled out his phone.